Lee, DM counties in different mental health districts

DES MOINES - On Thursday the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced the new Behavioral Health Service District Map which defines seven geographic service and planning areas effective July 1, 2025.
The district map was created using a data-driven approach to ensure that resources are allocated effectively to support the full array of behavioral health needs in Iowa. 
Lee County and Des Moines County are in different districts, based on the data used to develop the maps.
Lee County's Community Services Administrator Ryanne Wood said she's happy to see the map released.
"The Mental Health Agency of Southeast Iowa (MHASEI) MHDS Region is happy to now know the defined geography of the new behavioral health districts.  We look forward to working collaboratively with partners in this work to create a new and improved system of care for Iowa residents," she said.
Wood said all effort will be made in the foundational work to expand and increase access to mental health, substance use disorder, gambling recovery and tobacco cessation services for the next eleven months as a Region. 
On May 15, 2024, House File 2673 was signed into law. Under this legislation, Iowa will: 
• Combine the work and funding for mental health and addictive disorders into a Behavioral Health Service System, guided by a statewide plan, focused on ensuring equitable access to prevention, treatment, recovery, and crisis services.  
• Transfer the management of disability services from the local Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS) Regions to the Division of Aging & Disability Services. To focus on systems of support, care, and connection for all Iowans and families with disability-related needs, management activities will include identifying additional organizations to participate in the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) network and the creation of a disability services system.  
• Strengthen important system connections to Medicaid, Public Health, and Child Protective Services by gathering meaningful feedback from Iowans to inform system planning.
Using a shared responsibility model between HHS and system stakeholders, Iowans will build a Behavioral Health Service System that: 
• Is well-coordinated with clear access points throughout behavioral health districts, 
• Ensures that individuals and families have access to person-centered services and supports no matter where they live, 
• Reduces duplication by linking Federal, State and local governance and authority, 
• Eliminates administrative red-tape, and the same efforts happening in multiple places.  
• Links funding to measurable outcomes. 
Iowa HHS worked with stakeholders to gather feedback on these district maps to be overseen by the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BH-ASOs). The stakeholder engagement efforts had a turnout of over 1,000 attendees across all sessions. In addition to stakeholder feedback, identification of areas of high need, access to care, and city and county boundaries were used to designate the districts.
These new districts consider equitable resource distribution, minimizing service disruption, enhancing access to quality care, and addressing the specific needs of specific populations. The district map is a first step in building a new geographic foundation for an integrated and efficient behavioral health system that serves all Iowans. 
The new Behavioral Health Service System will start July 1, 2025